Nuggets Film Room: Kenneth Faried is a rim-running artiste

While Denver Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried hasn’t been able to get on the floor too often this season and is averaging just over ten minutes per game (a 50 percent cut in minutes from last season), the six-year veteran certainly makes the most of his playing time.

In the Nuggets’ 19-point loss against the Golden State Warriors Saturday night, Faried was one of Denver’s few bright spots. He was the key cog in the Nuggets’ 15-0 run to start the second quarter and Faried’s energy changed the flow and direction of the game until the Warriors pulled away after halftime.

In the midst of Denver’s run, Faried’s first two points, which came on a pinpoint alley-oop pass from Malik Beasley, exemplified one of his best skills; rim-running.

As soon as Beasley secures the ball off a Warriors’ miss, Faried takes off. He starts with just a step advantage on Draymond Green, who had already logged 8:33 of playing time in the first quarter, and gradually builds separation from the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. By the time Beasley throws the lob, Green is too far behind Faried to make a play.

He’s stuck behind three other big men on the Nuggets’ frontcourt depth chart but Faried’s hustle, effort, and energy on both ends of the floor is usually unmatched when he plays. The 27-year-old was a +12 in the 14 minutes he logged Saturday night and changed the game the minute he stepped on the floor.

While Faried has been squeezed out of Denver’s rotation at times this year, sequences like this are a reminder of just how valuable he is to the Nuggets.